Antique African Art Dogon Tribe Ritual Ark Box & Bowl Adunro Koro Mali

Description

As for this item listed.
This thing is big,
This Ark Box is about 24 inches long, 8 1/2 inches tall and quite heavy (8.5lbs)
Very nice carving work, Two horses, ancestors and lizard carvings.
This appears to be quite old, and is rather dirty.
The brown color on it is dirt, it will come off, but I decided not to clean it.
The box and the bowl have a rather odd smell to them, I can seem to figure out what it is??
The bowl is about 8 inches across and appears to be made to drink from.   Very Nice Museum Quality
Specimens!
There is quite a bit of conflicting information Dogon Ark Boxes on the net.
(some people even think they art tobacco or jewelry boxes)
The following information is from Dogon Cultural Sites, Museums, and other auction listings:
Such works have been described as aduno koro, an "ark of the world" meant to represent the mythic ark sent by
Amma to reorganize and populate the world. The aduno koro displays a wealth of imagery relating to the Dogon
account of genesis. Holding the eight original human ancestors and everything they needed for life on earth, the
ark was guided by Nommo, the primordial being who created order within the universe. When the ark settled on the
ground, Nommo transformed himself into a horse and transported the eight ancestors across the earth to water,
where the ark floated like a boat.
General Remarks:
The 400,000 Dogon live 180 miles south of Timbuktu on the cliffs of Bandiagara, which dominate the plains for over 150 miles. They speak approximately 120 dialects, many of which are not mutually comprehensible. At first hunters, now on their small fields they cultivate millet, sorghum, wheat, and onion. The millet is stored in high quadrangular granaries around which they build their houses. Because of the difficult approach to these regions and the aridity of the climate, the Dogon have been isolated and hence were able to conserve their ancient religious habits and ways of making the necessary implements, their carvings.
Dogon social and religious organizations are closely interlinked and out of this arose principal cults, which accounts for the richness and diversity of Dogon culture and art.  The clans are subdivided onto lineages, overseen by the patriarch, guardian of the clan’s ancestral shrine and officiant at the totemic animal cult. Beside this hierarchical system of consanguinity, male and female associations are entrusted with the initiations that take place by age group, corresponding to groups of newly circumcised or excised boys or girls. The Dogon believe these operations remove the female element from males and vice versa. Circumcision thus creates a wholly male or female person prepared to assume an adult role. The members of an age group owe one another assistance until the day they die. Initiation of boys begins after their circumcision, with the teaching of the myths annotated by drawings and paintings. The young boys will learn the place of humans in nature, society, and the universe. In the Dogon pantheon Amma appears as the original creator of all the forces of the universe and of his descendant Lebe, the god of plant rebirth. The first Dogon primordial ancestors, called Nommo, were bisexual water gods. They were created in heaven by the creator god Amma and descended from heaven to earth in an ark. The Nommo founded the eight Dogon lineages and introduced weaving, smithing, and agriculture to their human descendants.
"The Dogon Ark Boxes are Horse-shaped containers, embellished with carved Nommo (ancestor) figures and sun lizards symbolized the vehicle by which Dogon ancestors descended from heaven to earth."
"Dogon Ark Boxes were used in annual rituals to contain the meat of sheep and goats sacrificed on an altar dedicated to Amma the Creator and the ancestors of the family.
Played at the time of the winter solstice, the ceremony represents the culmination of rituals celebrating the very important millet harvest, the abundance of which will support the family in the coming year."
"Sacrifices of blood and millet porridge (millet being the primary crop of the
Dogon
) are made at the Binu shrines at planting time and whenever the intercession of the immortal ancestor is desired. Through such
rituals
, the
Dogon
believe that the benevolent force of the ancestor is transmitted to them"
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What you see in the photos is what you get!!
If you are still unsure, please ask questions before you bid.
I will only accept returns if the item is not as described, most of the items I sell are antiques and do show signs of age and  handling. WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PICTURES IS WHAT YOU GET!  I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN EVERYTHING! IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ASK!!
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Most items ship within 3 business days or less
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A NOTE ON SHIPPING FEES!
Things you need to know!
1
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EBay calculates the shipping fee you see in the listing.
2
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The seller enters the estimated size and weight of the box and eBay estimates the shipping fee based on your zip code, I don’t even see that number.
3
- The shipping fee displayed by eBay does not include the cost of the box or the packing materials, the seller pays for that.
4
- The seller also pays 10% commission on the shipping amount you pay.
5
- Ebay IS THE ONLY ONE MAKING MONEY ON THE SHIPPING
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- UPS ground now charges dimensional weight on ALL packages, they take the size of the box to determine the cost of shipping. (so a 20x20x20 box that only weighs 3 lbs is billed at 44lbs rate!